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vrijdag 18 januari 2013

ABOUT A BOY (NBC) - Jason Katims's single-camera comedy - a small screen take on Nick Hornby's famed book-turned-movie about "the relationship between a bachelor man-child and the young boy who moves in next door with his kooky single mother" - has landed a pilot order from the Peacock. Katims penned and will executive produce the half-hour, which comes from his Universal Television-based True Jack Productions with the film's Working Title and Tribeca Productions also co-producing. Patrick Dempsey and Max Kirsch toplined the previous effort to import the property over at FOX in 2003. (Deadline.com)

JOE & JOE & JANE (NBC) - Joe Port and Joe Wiseman's multi-camera comedy - about "a conflict-avoidant children's book author caught in an ongoing tug of war between his wife and his co-author/best friend" - has likewise received a pilot commitment from the network. 20th Century Fox Television is behind the half-hour, which said duo wrote and will executive produce. (Deadline.com)

TRUE DETECTIVE (HBO) - Michelle Monaghan, Alexandra Daddario, Elizabeth Reaser, Wood Harris and Michael Potts have all been cast in the Woody Harrelson/Matthew McConaughey-led drama, about "two detectives, Rust Cohle (McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Harrelson), whose lives collide and entwine during a 17-year hunt for a serial killer in Louisiana." Monaghan will play Hart's wife, Maggie Hart, "a woman who makes a hard decision that has long-reaching and devastating consequences"; with Daddario as Lisa Tragnetti, "a sexy court reporter whose relationship with Hart takes a dark turn for them both." Rounding out the group are Reaser as Laurie Perkins, "Cohle's pretty, refined girlfriend, a surgeon who works at the hospital with Maggie, and has dated Cohle for 4 years"; Potts as Maynard Gilbough, "a cerebral detective"; and Harris as Thomas Papania, Gilbough's partner. Writer Nic Pizzolatto and director Cary Fukunaga are behind the eight-episode project. (Deadline.com)

UNDER THE DOME (CBS) - Colin Ford ("We Bought a Zoo") is the first to be cast in Stephen King's upcoming drama, about a small town that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. He'll play Joe, "a teenager living in Chester's Mill, a very smart kid who's understandably freaked out when he discovers that the mysterious barrier covers the whole town - and both his parents are outside of it." Niels Arden Oplev is helming in the debut installment from a script by Brian K. Vaughan. CBS Television Studios and Amblin Television are co-producing. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED JESSICA SIMPSON PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Jessica Simpson ("Fashion Star") is set to topline a potential single-camera comedy at the Peacock inspired by her own life. Nick Bakay will pen the proposed pilot presentation off a story he conceived with his wife, Robin. He'll also executive produce alongside Simpson, her father/manager Joe Simpson and Electus' Ben Silverman for Universal Television with the latter's Jimmy Fox also serving as a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)

GATES, THE (NBC) - Christina Kirk ("Girls") is the latest to board the comedy pilot, about the hijinks that ensue when parents drop off and pick up their kids at school each day. She'll play Sarah, "a neglected, hot, depressed stay-at-home mom." Diana Maria Riva, John Grisetti, Justin Chon and Kathleen Rose Perkins also star in the single-camera project, from 20th Century Fox Television, director Marc Buckland and writers Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith. (Deadline.com)

HELIX (Syfy) - The Ronald D. Moore-produced drama - about "a team of scientists investigating a possible disease outbreak at an Arctic research facility who find themselves trying to protect the world from annihilation" - is reportedly close to a 13-episode straight-to-series order. Cameron Porsandeh created the Sony Pictures Television-based hour and serves as a co-executive producer with Moore and Lynda Obst executive producing. (Deadline.com)

MURDER IN THE FIRST (A.K.A. UNTITLED STEVEN BOCHCO MURDER MYSTERY PROJECT) (TNT) - Steven Bochco and Eric Lodal's crime drama - which intimately dissects a single murder case over an entire season - has been ordered to pilot by the cable channel. The San Francisco-set hour tracks "the murder of a Silicon Valley wunderkind who is a celebrated CEO of a cutting edge tech firm." Bochco is executive producing with Lodal serving as a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED DANA MIN GOODMAN/JULIA WOLOV PROJECT (MTV, New!) - Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov ("Good Vibes") have sold "a female buddy comedy set in high school" to the cable channel. No details were given about the project, which Goodman and Wolov will presumably executive produce. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED MICHAEL J. FOX PROJECT (NBC) - Katie Finneran, Conor Romero and Jack Gore have been cast in the upcoming comedy, which stars Michael J. Fox as Mike Burnaby, a husband and father of three from New York City dealing with family, career, and challenges - including Parkinson's - all loosely drawn from Fox's real life. Finneran will play Mike's "narcissistic, single and jobless sister" with Romero as his college dropout son and Gore as his younger, seven-year-old son. Wendell Pierce also stars in the Sony Pictures Television-based half-hour, from co-creators Will Gluck and Sam Laybourne. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED ROB COHEN/OWEN BURKE PROJECT (USA, New!) - Rob Cohen and Owen Burke are developing a talk show that's being billed as "a morning show in late night." The proposed project, to feature a male-female hosting team, would air live at 12:01am ET, making it the first "morning show" of the day. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions is behind the series, which they'll executive produce alongside said creators. (TVGuide.com)

WHEN THE WOMEN COME OUT TO DANCE (USA) - Kumail Nanjiani, Jordi Vilasuso, John Pankow and Aisha Hinds have all landed roles on the drama pilot, about "Miami businessman Billy (Bryan Greenberg) who, contemplating a run for political office, tries to increase his chances of being elected by marrying a Colombian woman named Lourdes (Stephanie Sigman)." Nanjiani will guest as Alfred Dalton, "an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agent and K-1 Visa Specialist"; with Vilasuso as Mario Morales, "Miami's youngest District Attorney ever who's married to Billy's ex-fiance Margaret (Amanda Schull)"; Pankow as Herman Mackey, "an old-school Miami real-estate developer"; and Hinds as Rosie, "the senior employee at Billy's mother's house cleaning business which he's been struggling to run since her death." Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton are behind the hour, which is based on Elmore Leonard's short story of the same name. (TVLine.com)

Simon Cowell dismissed the first ten acts who auditioned for Britain's Got Talent at yesterday's launch.

The talent show judge appeared in the first main auditions for the 2013 series along with David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden in Cardiff yesterday (January 16).

Cowell has said that he only wants the absolute best to go through to the next round following the decline in ratings for his other show The X Factor, according to The Sun.

A source said: "With X Factor on the wane, it's doubly important for Simon to make Britain's Got Talent a success. He believes the only way to do that is with the best acts.

"He's shaking up X Factor and that's spilling over into BGT. Simon is happy to show the rubbish acts getting a pasting in the audition rounds. But for the live finals he's looking for the seriously unique and astonishing.

"Yesterday's first auditions show saw him take a very no-nonsense approach. He's going back to basics — rubbish acts are buzzed off and good acts put through."

Simon Cowell was also quoted as saying that he will not be making a return to The X Factor while at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff yesterday.

NBC is eyeing the series, which has already been ordered for a full season, for fall. Brandt will play the wife of Fox's character, a New York news anchor coping -- like Fox -- with Parkinson's disease. He'll also have the usual sitcom troubles, like juggling family and his career.

Brandt's "Breaking Bad" husband, Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) also struggled with health problems: Brandt's character nursed him back to health after he was shot and had to re-learn to walk.

She joins a cast that also includes Connor Romero and Jack Gore as the couple's children, Katie Finneran as the sister of Fox's character, and "The Wire" star Wendell Pierce as his boss.

The second half of the fifth and final season of "Breaking Bad" will air this summer. Both "Breaking Bad" and the Fox show come from Sony Pictures Television.

The as-yet-untitled series is written by "Cougar Town" scribe Sam Laybourne and "Easy A" director Will Gluck.

News Corp. may split its successful FX network into two, with the new network, FXX, focusing more on twentysomethings and comedy.

The new network could replace Fox Soccer, the Los Angeles Times said. Broadcasting & Cable reported the possible name and focus of the new channel.

"We're constantly evaluating our programming offerings and this is just one notion we have considered over the past year or so," a Fox spokesman told.

The move would make sense given the vast content available to FX, said Brad Adgate, director of research for Horizon Media.

"They're probably going to get more viewers with a second entertainment network," he told TheWrap. "Why not create a second?"

If Fox Soccer becomes FXX, Fox could potentially air its games on the new network it is developing to compete with ESPN, Adgate noted.

News Corp. also has the movie channel FXM.

The possible split for FX comes as the company has dramatically increased its content in recent seasons. Besides dramatic hits like "Justified," "Sons of Anarchy" and "American Horror Story," it also airs comedies including the highly rated "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and the acclaimed "Louie."

The network is also building a late-night lineup with "Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell" and "BrandX With Russell Brand."

The split would follow the successful approach of other conglomerates. NBC Universal has USA, Bravo and E!, among other cable stations, while Turner airs its dramas on TNT and comedies on TBS. AMC Networks is taking a similar approach, airing dramas on AMC and developing new ones for Sundance as IFC focuses on comedy.

Karl Pilkington is to return to Sky1 for new series The Moaning of Life.

The five-part documentary series will follow Pilkington as he travels the world alone to "experience how other cultures face up to life's big issues".

The 40-year-old previously hosted Sky1 travel show An Idiot Abroad and was joined by Life's Too Short actor Warwick Davis for the most recent third run.

"I've been on the planet for 40 years now, and I'm still none the wiser as to what it's all about really," said Pilkington.

"I've never worried about life's big questions. People at my age sit about pondering about, 'Why are we here?' - the only time I ever asked meself that is when Suzanne booked us a surprise holiday to Lanzarote."

Sky's head of factual Celia Taylor added: "We are thrilled to be continuing our relationship with Karl following three series of An Idiot Abroad, which all resonated brilliantly with our customers.

"The Moaning of Life will be a unique take on the challenges that we all face in life, presented in Karl's inimitable way."

Freema Agyeman has ruled out returning to Doctor Who for the 50th anniversary.

Agyeman played The Doctor's companion Martha Jones in Doctor Who's third series, later returning for appearances in series four and in David Tennant's last episodes 'The End of Time'.

The 33-year-old actress has commented in the past that she would relish the chance to honour the history of Doctor Who for the upcoming anniversary.

"If they want to do a big group thing, I can't really envisage anybody in the Who family saying no because it's quite a marked occasion and a good opportunity to rekindle," Agyeman said in late 2011.

Agyeman discussed Doctor Who further in a recent Crave Online interview, disclosing that there will be no return for Martha Jones this year.

"I'm doing two things for the 50th but nothing to do with being in the drama," the star revealed.

She went on to say: "I got misquoted hideously once saying that there are some rumblings going on about being involved in the 50th in terms of the drama. It's not.

"It's in terms of conventions and interviews and things like that, which we're all doing stuff to promote the 50th. We have to. It's the Doctor Who family and we want to."

Little is known about Doctor Who's rumoured 50th anniversary special, other than showrunner Steven Moffat's promise that the show will "take over television".

Tenth Doctor actor David Tennant recently refused to comment on The Jonathan Ross Show about rumours that he will appear in a multi-Doctor special.

It has been announced that classic Doctor Who stars Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann will all record a Big Finish multi-Doctor audio drama in celebration of the anniversary.

Former Fox and Discovery executive Peter Liguori has been named the new CEO of Tribune Company.

In its first board of directors meeting since emerging from a bankruptcy, Tribune Co. also named investor Bruce Karsh as its chairman. The new Tribune board includes Ross Levinsohn, the former interim CEO of Yahoo who this week was named CEO of Prometheus, the parent company of the Hollywood Reporter.

Eddy Hartenstein, who had served as CEO of Tribune for the last 18 months, will stay with the company as publisher/CEO of the Los Angeles Times Media Group. He will remain on the company's board and serve as a special adviser to Ligouri.

Liguori's appointment had been long expected. Reuters reported in September that he was being eyed as the company's new CEO.

Liguori gave interviews to the two largest Tribune papers, the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. In his Times interview, he was asked if the papers could be sold.

"There are people interested in the newspapers," he said. "It is my fiduciary responsibility to hear them out and see if in fact their interest is real and their commitment is concomitant with the value of these newspapers. But that runs parallel to my working with you guys on running the business on a day-to-day basis to maximize the value."

Liguori became an operating executive at Carlyle, a private equity firm, in July. At the company, he provided guidance to the telecommunications and media team. He was also up for the post of entertainment and digital media president at Microsoft. That job went in September to former CBS executive Nancy Tellem.

Liguori was previously chief operating officer of Discovery Communications, serving as the cable network’s No. 2 executive from 2009 to the end of 2011. He served as interim CEO of OWN beginning in May 2011, after the the dismissal Christina Norman.

Within two months, Oprah Winfrey named herself CEO of OWN. In November, Liguori said he was leaving Discovery, and the company said no replacement would be named.

Prior to joining Discovery, he spent 13 years with Fox Entertainment, serving as president and then chairman of Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company from 2005 to 2009.

Toni Collette has found a captivating new role -- as the lead in CBS's upcoming drama pilot "Hostages."

"United States of Tara" star Collette has been cast in the pilot, which "Traitor" director Jeffrey Nachmanoff is writing, directing and executive-producing.

Based on the Israeli format created by Alon Aranya, Omri Givon and Rotem Shamir, "Hostages" revolves around a family is caught in the middle of a grand political conspiracy that will change their lives forever.

Collette will play Ellen, the family matriarch and a successful Washington, D.C. surgeon who has chosen to operate on the President. After her family is swept into the conspiracy, it's up to Ellen to save her husband and children.

The pilot is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Bros. Television. Bruckheimer is also executive-producing, along with Givon, Shamir and Chayim Sharir. Aranya and KristieAnne Reed are co-executive-producing.

"This is a lesson in something that seems like a really big loss in the moment, but will actually turn into a great opportunity... which it will also be for the show, to take a turn in a whole different direction," he said.

It was recently confirmed by Neame that Dame Maggie Smith will reprise her role as the Dowager Countess in Downton's fourth run.

The new series is expected to debut on ITV in the autumn, with a 2013 festive special to follow this Christmas. In the US, the third series is currently airing on PBS.

The 18th National TV Awards take place at London's O2 next Wednesday (January 23) and it's your chance to have your say (and vote) on the best of the box from the last 12 months.

Digital Spy will be bringing you full coverage of the awards and all the behind-the-scenes gossip, but here at DS we love a debate more than anything else, so what better than a heated discussion on who should win each gong?

We'll start today with the hotly contested 'Talent Show' battle. Will X Factor rule supreme again? Or can someone else claim the sought-after crown? Here's a run-down of the contenders:

After a dodgy 2011, BGT bounced back in 2012 with a new panel, the return of Simon Cowell and a dancing dog that pawed its way to victory. The brilliant addition of David Walliams to the panel, one of the best years ever of talent on the show and the continuing popularity of Ant & Dec will surely work in its favour.

The definite outsider of the shortlist, it would be a significant upset if Dancing on Ice took the crown. The fact it's on air right now may work to its benefit and the show's recent revamp has won over a few critics after last year's sloppy run. However, it would still be a major shock if it was Schofe and Bleakley holding the trophy next week.

Cowell relished his victory over Strictly two years ago, when he was famously handed the gong by axed Strictly judge Arlene Phillips, and the BBC ballroom series hasn't actually walked away with the top prize since 2008. However, after one of its strongest ever series with a sizzling lineup of celebs, Len, Bruno, Craig and Darcey have as good a chance as ever to reclaim the accolade.

The new kid on the block. The Voice UK started with a bang, before fizzling away towards the end. It still remains one of the biggest ever TV entertainment launches and with the combined efforts of Jessie, Will, Tom and Danny it will definitely have some tweet power, but after only one series and with no star acts to its name, it probably won't have the voter power to be named top dog.

It may have been one of its worst ever series; viewing figures may have tumbled; we may still be having nightmares about Christopher Maloney's ballads and Rylan's face (wait a minute, that's not a nightmare - it's really happening on Channel 5); however, X Factor has won this title for three years in a row and it still probably heads into this race as the favourite.

Patsy Kensit has described her former role on Emmerdale as "a real godsend" and "a reinvention" for her - but admitted that she wouldn't mind a part on rival soaps EastEnders and Coronation Street.

The former Holby City star, who played village bitch Sadie King from 2004 to 2006, told Digital Spy she is thankful for the boost Emmerdale gave her career.

"I loved doing it, I learned so much and it was a real godsend being offered that part," she said.

"It was a reinvention for me, it was incredible. I got to come back and really [have] a place in primetime television... it was just a blessing."

Asked if she would consider appearing on a different soap, Kensit replied: "EastEnders, because I was born and raised in London. It's always had a real special place for me. [And] Coronation Street was something I grew up watching.

"I left Holby City two and a half years ago and I really wanted to be a full-time mum for a bit, so we'll see what the next job is. I don't know yet."

Kensit went on to describe Emmerdale's live 40th anniversary episode last October as "incredible", adding that she hopes the show wins "lots of awards" in the near future.

The actress also discussed her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, confessing that she had failed to continue training afterwards as she pledged.

"Dancing truly lifts your spirits," she said. "It's really, really strenuous, but you don't notice it because you've got the music and you're learning something new and it's wonderful.

"The show finishes and you make every kind of promise, of course I'm going to stick this, it's so wonderful, and within three, four months I'd put all [the weight I'd lost] back on and probably a bit more. I loved it, I had a really good time on the show, but I haven't carried on dancing."

Kensit stated that she refuses to pick a side in the ratings war between Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor, as "there's room for both shows and they're both different things".

TNT has greenlit a new pilot that will star Geena Davis as an unconventional bounty hunter, the network said Thursday.

The as-yet-untitled project will be directed and executive-produced by Dean Devlin, whose series "Leverage" was canceled by the network. Devlin will also serve as the new project's showrunner, along with Amy Berg, who wrote the script with Scott Prendergrast.

Davis will also executive-produce, as will Prendergrast and others.

Inspired by the life story of San Francisco bounty hunter Mackenzie Green, the project will star Davis as "an unconventional bail bondswoman and bounty hunter whose eccentric personality and unusual tactics give her an advantage in a tough and unpredictable business."

The glamour model, who became the third person evicted from the series on Wednesday (January 16), said she was disgusted with the Hills star's accusation that she was out to seduce her "chubby" husband Spencer Pratt.

"I'm gonna knock that bitch out after what she said about me," Banghard told the Daily Star. "If she wants it then I'll give it to her.

"I'm no wh*re. That is such a horrible word and so not true. I've only ever slept with one man in my life."

She continued: "I'd never touch someone else's husband. I am not a home wrecker. And Spencer is just not my type.

"I certainly don't fancy him. He is chubby. I never said I wanted sex with Heidi either."

Banghard had initially stuck up for the couple - nicknamed Speidi - in her post-eviction interview, describing them as having "good hearts".

"I felt sorry for them because we'd all said some horrible things about their marriage and that can't have been nice to hear," she explained.

"But I said sorry and made my peace with them. I thought we were friends and would stay in touch. I've been a fool and so naive. Everything they said to me was fake."

Heidi and Spencer are facing eviction tonight (January 18) along with the entirety of the house after Neil Ruddock and Ryan Moloney broke the rules by discussing nominations.

The live Celebrity Big Brother eviction show begins at 9pm on Channel 5.